Special to the Reading Eagle: Harold Hoch |
Robert Jefferson, former president of the Reading Branch of the NAACP, gives a presentation Saturday on the Rev. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech at the Wyomissing Public Library.

Special to the Reading Eagle: Harold Hoch |

Special to the Reading Eagle: Harold Hoch |
Robert Jefferson, former president of the Reading Branch of the NAACP, gives a presentation Saturday on the Rev. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech at the Wyomissing Public Library.

Special to the Reading Eagle: Harold Hoch |
Jefferson decided to recite the speech after hearing a subpar rendering of it about 15 years ago.

Presentation gives personal touch to MLK's 'Dream' speech

Robert Jefferson is emotional as he recites it at Wyomissing Public Library as part of Black History Month.

More Black History Month events

The Wyomissing Public Library, 9 Reading Blvd., will host two more events in recognition of Black History Month.

On Saturday, Runette Gabrielle will portray abolitionist Harriet Tubman, a slave who escaped through the Underground Railroad and went on to help more than 1,000 people gain freedom, Gabrielle, a retired nurse and soprano soloist, will give a dramatized performance of Tubman's writings at 1 p.m.

On Feb. 26, the library will host a screening of "To Kill A Mockingbird" at 6 p.m. with free popcorn.

All the events are free. Registration is requested and can be completed at the library's front desk, at www.wyopublib.org or 610-374-2385.

More than 15 years ago, a trip to Penn State Berks sent Robert Jefferson on what he now calls an initiative of a labor of love.

The former president of the Reading branch of the NAACP took a group of students to the local college campus for a program celebrating the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Jefferson said a young man walked onto the stage, sat on a chair and read King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech.

"I was sort of disappointed," Jefferson, 79, of Spring Township, said with a chuckle. "I said, 'Oh man, they didn't do that speech any justice.' So that's when I decided maybe I need to learn it and start to present it differently."

Jefferson has now given the speech numerous times in the past decade at colleges, high schools, churches and special events, but the power of King's words from Aug. 28, 1963, during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom still make him emotional.

While giving the speech at the Wyomissing Public Library on Saturday during a special presentation to commemorate Black History Month, Jefferson admitted he "made a few bloopers in there."

"I'm a very emotional person and I was listening to what I was saying and it touched me," he said.

The group of a dozen people attending the event broke into applause as Jefferson finished the speech.

Alice Haydt, 63, of Sinking Spring, said the fact that someone was actually performing the speech was what drew her to attend the presentation.

"I thought it was very interesting," she said, adding that events like this help make history fascinating. "It's the personal stories that go with it, not just that there was a speech in the 60s."

Ann Sheehan, the adult program coordinator for the library, organized the presentation and said she hopes to continue to have events like it. She said she is working on several events to recognize Women's History Month in March.

"It's such an honor to have him here today to give this speech," she said.

In addition to sharing stories about King's early life that shaped him into one of the most influential speakers in American history, Jefferson also spoke about his own experiences as a young black man in the '50s and '60s.

Growing up in Reading, he said he didn't experience much racism until he was 17 and went to South Carolina after joining the Army and came across segregated bathrooms and drinking fountains.

He said he faced more racism while stationed in Columbus, Ga., even when in uniform, and later while trying to get a job in radio broadcasting while living in California.

Jefferson admitted he doesn't think he could have been part of the nonviolence movement at the time.

"After seeing what was being done to people just because of the color of their skin, it really got to me," he said.

He said King was admired by so many people because he stood for peace and used his words to change the course of history without firing a shot or harming a soul.

"Dr. King's message was and still is one of hope for the hopeless, power for the powerless and tolerance in the midst of hate," Jefferson said. "His priceless legacy is now ours to nurture, his peaceful actions are ours to emulate, and his quest for social justice is ours to carry on and pass on to future generations."

More Black History Month events

The Wyomissing Public Library, 9 Reading Blvd., will host two more events in recognition of Black History Month.

On Saturday, Runette Gabrielle will portray abolitionist Harriet Tubman, a slave who escaped through the Underground Railroad and went on to help more than 1,000 people gain freedom, Gabrielle, a retired nurse and soprano soloist, will give a dramatized performance of Tubman's writings at 1 p.m.

On Feb. 26, the library will host a screening of "To Kill A Mockingbird" at 6 p.m. with free popcorn.

All the events are free. Registration is requested and can be completed at the library's front desk, at www.wyopublib.org or 610-374-2385.